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The TranzAlpine scenic train journey travels between Christchurch and Greymouth, from one coast of New Zealand to the other. From the comfort of world class carriages you'll see the fields of the Canterbury Plains and farmland, followed by the spectacular gorges and river valleys of the Waimakariri River. Your train then climbs into the majestic Southern Alps to Arthurs Pass National Park, before descending through lush beech rainforest to the West Coast town of Greymouth - a great base for visits to Punakaiki and the always-popular glaciers. All services feature state award winning carriages including panoramic side and sky-view windows, GPS triggered at-seat commentary, a fully licensed cafe, and open air viewing decks.
The TranzAlpine operates a daily return service throughout the year.

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Top Rated

$1,375*

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5-Day South Island Tour from Christchurch

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Most recent review

“beautiful scenary”

This trip is highly recommended, a really good way to start your tour of NZ. We took the train from chch to Greymouth one way, the views were spectacular especially because it was...read more

This trip is highly recommended, a really good way to start your tour of NZ. We took the train from chch to Greymouth one way, the views were spectacular especially because it was a clear day. I think the right side of the train is better, you can't prebook seats but you can call 24 hours before and ask for...
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This was on my bucket list of things to do. Was worth the wait however the train was an hour late arriving into Greymouth. Travelling through tunnels through mountains is eerie. The scenery is amazing. from dried plains, to green farmland, then on to the mountains truly a trip of varied landscapes. The seats and carriages were comfortable, though there...
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We took the ferry from Wellington to Picton
Joined the train to Christchurch
We enjoyed the trip but it was slow and long
My son got a bit fed up with being on the train so long but the scenery was good but he said after a while it all looks the same
I think we were expecting a few...
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We took this train from Christchurch to Arthurs Pass though it goes on till Greymouth.
Comfortable seats, panoramic windows, open observation car, snacks on board make this journey very enjoyable. Being our firat full day in NZ, it proved to be the perfect intro to this naturally beautiful country.

We got on in Greymouth and went to Christchurch, as other have said the train runs about a1/2 hour late. Nice ride but a little noisy particularly going around curves. The scenery for the majority of the trip is awesome, particularly at and after Arthurs Pass.

We chose to do all 3 trains after driving around the north island. The scenery was amazing. A few showers along the way did not impact at all. Nice coffee and snacks available on the trains and the toilets were clean. The ferry connection was straight forward at Wellington as well. Great trip all round.

We travelled on 3 Kiwi Rail journeys on our recent visit to NZ and all were excellent. Comfortable seating, audio guide in your seat, big windows and an open sided observation deck from which to view the dramatic scenery. Catering was a bit pricey but good quality. Staff were friendly and helpful. An excellent way for everyone to see the...
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i enjoyed my train ride several ways: For Example;
Met several nice travelers from other countries
Enjoyed , listening to the narrative as I chose too,
the open air car for parts of the ride,
my preordered food service,
taking probably a 100 photos,
And last but not least the wide range of scenery

My husband, an another couple went on this great train ride. We chose the two day option and loved every minute. The trip to Greymouth was cold, but dry and we thoroughly enjoyed the scenery. After a night of rain it just made the return trip more interesting with more water in the waterfalls. Highly recommend.

After doing six flights around Australia it was nice to have a train ride. Got on at Christchurch and went to Arthurs Pass two and half hours. Nice and relaxing....some scenery not too bad and they had headphones for info.

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